30 October 2008 Edition

Schools should not have to be battlegrounds and/agus Cearta Gaeilge sna cúirteanna

Schools should not have to be battlegrounds

Education has become a political battleground on both sides of the border. The attacks by the Fianna Fáil/PD/Green Coalition government on the education system have provoked huge anger among parents, pupils and school managers. The increase in class sizes and reduction in teacher numbers makes no social or economic sense. It will adversely effect the education of individual children, especially the most vulnerable and those from poorer families. It will produce poorer educational outcomes for the country as a whole, making it more difficult to develop the economy and recover from recession. In the Six Counties the long overdue abolition of academic selection is supported by the vast majority of parents, teachers and pupils. But it is being blocked by the DUP in the Executive and by a minority within the education system who want to retain an old system based on privilege and exclusion. Sinn Féin Education Minister Caitríona Ruane deserves praise for persisting with this essential reform and for patiently seeking to overcome every obstacle placed in its path. The mobilisations we are seeing on the education cuts in the 26 Counties are essential if major long-term damage is not to be caused to the education system. Pressure must be maintained to have the cuts reversed. And if the Coalition does not back down on this issue the pressure still needs to be kept up to prevent them doing even worse next year. Our schools should not have to be political battlegrounds but if campaigning is needed to assert the educational rights of our children then the battle must be fought.